A northwest Texas teacher has pleaded guilty to federal charges after having a sexual relationship with an 11th grade student.

Dustin Ray Leonard, 28, of Lubbock, Texas, appeared Monday in federal court to plead guilty to enticement of a minor, announced Erin Nealy Cox, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

Leonard faces no less than 10 years and no more than life in federal prison and up to a $250,000 fine. He also could be given not less than 5 years nor more than a lifetime of supervised release.

Leonard has been in custody since his arrest on May 22, and will remain in custody pending sentencing.

According to documents filed in the case:

On July 16, 2016, Leonard was hired by the Slaton Independent School District (SISD), as a high school teacher and coach. Slaton is a small town about 17 miles southeast of Lubbock.

The SISD chief of police learned of a possible inappropriate relationship that occurred between Leonard and an 11th grade female student on April 12, 2018.

The SISD superintendent received an audio recording that another student had made of Leonard.

In the recording, Leonard could be heard telling a female student about his marital problems.

Leonard, after being confronted by the district about the recording, provided officials a written letter of resignation, citing personal and family concerns.

On May 8, the SISD school board met and accepted the resignation effective May 18.

Slaton Police Department was provided information on May 21 about Leonard’s Snapchat account and an inappropriate relationship he was having with the 11th grade female student.

Leonard was later interviewed and admitted that he had been in a sexual relationship with the student since January 2018.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Led by U.S. Attorney’s offices and the criminal division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood leverages federal, state and local resources to better investigate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children.